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No. 620,762. Patented Mar. 7, I899.

J. F. FIELD &. C. PRINS.

SCHOOL DESK.

(Application filed In. 25, 1893.!-

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Woimeis-s as ,gfiia/ No. 620,762. Patented Mar. 7, 1899. J. F. FIELD &. C. PRiNS.

SCHOOL DESK.

(Application filed Mar. 25, 1898.. I (No Model.) 7 2 Shaets8heet 2.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FRANKLIN FIELD AND CHARLIE PRINS, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO THE E. II. STAFFORD COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SCHOOL-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,762, dated March '7, 1899.

Application filed March 25, 1898- Serial No. 675,098. (No model.)-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,JoHN FRANKLIN FIELD and CHARLIE PRINs, of Muskegon, Muskegon county, Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in School-Desks; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is especially designed to be used in connection with the combined adjustable school desks and seats now commonly used in the larger schools. Its object is to enable the movable or adjustable parts of the desk to be readily raised or lowered to the desired point and to provide an adjusting device which will also lock the parts securely in any position to which they are adjusted.

The invention is very simple in construction and powerful in operation and when applied to seats it will enable them to be adjusted while the scholars are seated thereon.

The invention consists in the combinations and constructions of parts summarized in the appended claims,and the accompanying drawings illustrate it as applied to an adjustable school desk and seat.

Referring to said drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of an adjustable school desk and seat. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of parts of the desk, showing the adjusting mechanism in dotted lines, also partly in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of parts of the desk, showing the adjusting mechanism, also partly in section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4 4, Fig. 3, looking down. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail perspective views of the adjusting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the side standards A of the desk may be of any suitable construction and rigidly tied together in any suitable manner. The side castings B of the adjustable top portion of the desk are also of any suitable construction and slidably connected to the standards A, and the adjustable seat-supporting castings C are also adj ustably connected to the standards A in any suitable manner. The particular construction of these parts A B C does not form part of the present invention, which is adapted to various styles of adjustable desks and seats of this character, many such being well known in the art.

We will more particularly describe the invention as adapted for adjusting the seat S, and for this purpose the parts of each standard A in which a casting O is guided is formed with an elongated slot a, at one side of which, on the inner face of the standard, is a vertical rack D. This rack is meshed by a pinion E on a stub-shaft e, which is journaled in suitable bearings c 0 formed in the adjoining seat-supporting casting (J, said casting being also formed with a pocket 0 inclosing said pinion.

Beside the pocket 0 in casting C is another pocket 0 for the accommodation of a wormgear F, which meshes with the pinion E and has a journal f on its inner end, which is journaled in a bearing a in casting O, as shown. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) The worm has a cylindrical enlargement or head F1 on its outer end which fits neatly between the sides of slot a and has a flange f on its outer edge which overlaps the side edges of the slot at and assists in keeping the worm-gear in proper position. r

Practically as applied to a desk the parts A, B, O, D, and E are duplicated at each side of the desk, and the opposite worms F are connected by a rod G, which rod may be angular at its ends and is passed through angular bores in the worms F, as indicated in Fig. 6, and has angular caps, nuts, or washersg on its outer end, as shown. The rod G serves as a means of causing the opposite worms F to rotate in unison and also as a tie between the opposite sides of the desk and assists in keeping the parts in proper relative position. The worms may be rotated by a wrench applied to either cap g.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that when the worm is turned the pinion is rotated,and consequently movement will be imparted to the pinion and the pinion and rack must be moved relatively to each other, and that if the rack D is on the stationary part the part 0, with the worm F and pinion E, must move either up or down, according to the direction in which the pinion is r0- tated, and, on the other hand, that if the part C, in which the worm and pinion are mounted, is stationary the part A, to which the rack is attached, must rise or fall.

As shown in the drawings, the partA is the stationary part and part C is movable, and the worms F and pinions E are journaled in the movable part. Consequently when the worms are rotated the parts 0, with the worms and pinions, will be adjusted up or down, according to the direction of rotation of the shaft G, and therefore the seat S, carried by the sections 0, can be raised or lowered, as desired. It is obvious that the same adjusting mechanism can be utilized to raise and lower the top portion T of the desk, if desired, and in Figs. 1 and 2 wehave indicated such a con struction; but it is unnecessary to describe the same further, as the parts B of the top are simply provided with bearings for the worms and pinions like the parts 0, already described.

While the rod G might be dispensed with and the worms operated independently, we prefer to use the rod where two or more sets of worm-gearing and racks are employed to adjust a single part. It is also obvious that the invention can be used on single seats Where but one stationary and one movable member are required to support and adjust the seat.

When applied to school-desks, the adjustment can be effected with the pupil seated on the seat, and the parts will remain in any position desired when adjusted, because the worm acts as an efiective lock to the pinion.

Having thus described our invention, what we therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, 'is

1. In an adjustable desk or seat, the combination of a casting having an elongated slot and the rack at one side of the slot; with an opposite casting having pockets for the accommodation of a pinion and a worm; with the pinion j ournaled in said latter casting and meshing with said rack and the worm also journaled in said latter casting and meshing with said pinion, said worm having a head extending through the slot in the first casting for the purpose and substantially as described.

2. In a school desk or seat, the combination of the opposite standards having slots and racks, substantially as described, and the opposite seat-castings, with the pinions journaled in said castings and meshing with the racks, and theworms also journaled in said seat-castings and meshing with the pinions, said worms having enlarged cen tral heads projecting through and guided in the slots and provided with external flanges and a rod connecting both worms, and by which they can be simultaneously rotated, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

I11 testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN FRANKLIN FIELD. CHARLIE PRINS. In presence of HUGH J. MINHINNIOK, WILLIAM W. BAROUS. 

